Many prior devices have been designed for propelling confetti into the air, but each has had its particular disadvantages. For example, so-called "cannons" or "bombs" have been devised, as described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 825,843 and 1,663,679, in which a charge of explosive material is ignited to cause an explosion which drives randomly packed, small round or square pieces of confetti into the air in a generally cloud-like pattern. In addition to not being able to propel the individual pieces of confetti very high into the air, unless large explosive charges are used, the hazard of using any explosive charge is apparent.
Another prior type of device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,153,207 and 1,491,809 in which horn-shaped devices are filled with randomly packed, small round or square pieces of confetti, and a mouth piece is provided at the small end of the horn for blowing the confetti out of the horn by the breath of the user. Such devices are safe, but the amount of force available to expel the confetti is quite limited such that the confetti is not propelled into the air very high or far. Also, the small, random-packed pieces of confetti exit the horn as a cloud rather than rise in the air and then burst into individual pieces.
It is also known to expel confetti from so-called "cannons" by the use of compressed air or CO2 charges, and such cannons are effective at professionally conducted shows where sources of compressed air or CO2 are available. However, such devices are not highly portable, since the cannon must remain connected to the gas source by a flexible hose, or the cannon must include a CO2 cartridge as taught, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,211. Such cannons are packed with loose, random oriented pieces of confetti which exit the cannon as a cloud of confetti pieces and the pattern is highly unpredictable.